New Life
by butterflygirl12
Summary: This is a mainly Jesse/Dani story, but will include Michael/Fi engaged, Sam/Elsa, and just Maddie. A story of how Jesse and Dani come to terms on how they feel for each other. Set right after they escape Panama but without Michael killing Card. This is AU as if Card was captured rather than killed. Sorry but I suck at summaries...
1. Chapter 1

New Beginnings

Michael sighed as he walked into the loft. He was able to convince Langley into transferring Pearce back to Miami. He had definitely seen something between her and Jesse. When they were on the cruise, Jesse and Dani hadn't seen him, but he had seen them. He saw the way Dani let her tough act recede in front of Jesse and let her walls down to have a nervous breakdown. He also saw how easily it was for Jesse to calm her down. He also saw how it was only Jesse who called Pearce "Dani". Jesse tried to act as if he was okay after Dani, but not only did Jesse have feelings for Dani, but he also couldn't help but feel guilty. It was his plan that had gotten Dani sent to Mumbai.

He was heartbroken over something that hadn't even gotten to be something. The look that Jesse had in his eyes under his joking manner was also easily visible in Dani's eyes. For the three months she was in Mumbai, she had that look. One of her friends who also was reassigned asked one afternoon "Who is he?" She looked confused for a moment, then blushed remembering him. She simply stated "Someone whom I would've liked to get to know better." She tried to meet other men, but none had the connection she felt with Jesse. She had to admit she had noticed and let it go, but not this time. This time she would tell him if not for his sake, but for hers as well. Little did she know, but across town, Jesse was having the same thoughts as Michael texted him the good news.


	2. Chapter 2

Another Chance

As soon as Jesse got the message, he asked for Michael to text him her number. When he got it, he called her and they immediately started talking and catching up. An hour later and all caught up over every last detail that's happen over the past three long agonizing months, Jesse tried to apologize but Dani wouldn't hear it. She simply said "It was my decision to help and you needed it. Plus you helped me find Jay's killer and kept me from ripping his head off, or worse, have a huge breakdown in front of him and blow our cover so it was the least I could do". After hearing her tell him that he kept her from doing those things, he finally had the nerve to act casual and ask her out for lunch. "Of course" she said a little too quickly, but thankfully Jesse was too excited about the idea of seeing her again to notice. They hung up and both thought to themselves they hoped each other had meant lunch to be more than two friends meeting, yet didn't know if the other felt the same way.

Jesse headed over to the loft after Sam called with a job needing his mind to be distracted from the next day. When he got there, Michael, Sam, and Fi were discussing how easy the job was to the point where it only took two hours to finish. When they got back to the loft, Fi had a meeting to go to with a new supplier while Sam went to go see Elsa (it seemed like they're getting serious, Jesse thought…). That left Michael and Jesse alone and, sure enough, as soon as the door closed Michael looked at Jesse and said "I'm going to say this once. You and Pearce have what Fi and I have. Just don't be like me and wait years to admit you love her. I came close to losing Fi a lot and you lost Dani for 3 months, but luckily you have another chance". Jesse knew it was hard for Michael to talk about the many times he almost lost Fi. He had heard Mike came close to losing her twice in Ireland, she was caught in a house fire and he actually thought he lost her, another time due to the fact that he was obsessed with finding who burned him and wanting to get back in so she left him to go to Ireland and he ended up saving her, she had that one boyfriend but that was for like two weeks, she was willing to die with him because Vaughn and his minions were after them, and the whole Anson and prison thing. Jesse just hoped it wouldn't take all that for him and Dani to be happy and together. "It took a lot for you two to go through before you realized you really love her" he said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Yea that's why I'm proposing tonight" he said as he watched with an amused look on his face as Jesse nearly choked on his beer. 'Well congrats I guess" he panted, trying to catch his breath "Yea, thanks".

Later that night Michael took Fi out to her favorite restaurant and suggested a walk on the beach. "What's the occasion?" she asked skeptically. "Well Fi you know us, nothing we do is normal, but this will be." he said as he got down on one knee and pulled out the little box and opened it to reveal an Asher-cut diamond engagement ring she had once said she'd want rather than the one they had when they went undercover as a married couple. "I love you, Fiona Glenanne. It took me years to be able to speak it so freely and I want to be the only man who ever gets to say it, so will you marry me?" She had one of those genuine smiles that lit up her whole face as she made him stand up to hug him and say "You know I might just do that."

Later that night at the loft as he held her tightly in his arms, his hand resting on hers touching the ring that was now hers, he knew that as long as he did this, they would both sleep nightmare free. And they did just that.

The next day around eleven, they went to Madeline's house to give her the good news. She was thrilled as she saw her son walk through the door with his now fiancé, thanks to the ring resting delicately on Fiona's finger. "I'm so happy for the two of you!" she said excitedly "Of course I've always considered you as part of the family, but now it will be official!" she said as she hugged Fi. "You had better take good care of her or God is my witness I will smother you with a pillow!" "I got it ma, believe me I will."

Dani met Jesse at a cute little restaurant around the corner of her office. "You look beautiful." He said without thinking. "Thank you" she said blushing. They got a table and ate lunch with him telling her stories that made her constantly laugh. She told him stories of ops where, in the end, everyone went home laughing. When they finished, they paid and went outside where Jesse said "We should do that more often". She quickly agreed saying "Definitely" so he got up the nerve to ask "How about dinner Friday night?" "Okay" "I'll pick you up at eight" "great" wondering if he was going to do what she was thinking he was going to do. Sure enough, after taking all of lunch thinking of whether or not to, he leaned in and lightly kissed her. Without thinking, she responded immediately to kiss him back. They broke the kiss and said goodbye, both dazed. Had he really just done that or had it been her imagination? She really hoped it was the first thought…then smiled realizing it was.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: First Date

A/N: Okay so I know I haven't updated in a while, and I know this chapter is short but I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. What really got me to update were the two reviews I got from Leah Barrett and Dina C. I really do love reviews so please take the time to review and if you have any ideas, feel free to inbox me . Also I plan on updating once a week if not more. So I give you another chapter…

The next day after not getting much sleep due to the fact that she spent most of the night wondering if all of it was real or if she would wake up in that tiny apartment in Mumbai, Dani got up at five instead of six and tried everything to forget what would happen in the next fourteen hours. On her way to work, her mind stumbled over a thought… why hadn't she ever felt this way over Jay? She could've sworn she'd loved him, but everything with Jesse was different. She had never laughed with Jay until her stomach hurt. She had never got that cliché butterfly feeling everyone talks about, everything seemed so serious, but not with Jesse. By the time she got to work, she came to a conclusion: she'd cared about Jay, maybe loved him a little bit, but it had only meant to be a fling. She DID get the cliché butterfly feeling by just getting to see Jesse. Suddenly the locket she had on since the day Jay gave it to her felt like twenty pounds. She did what she thought she would never want to do and took off the necklace and let him go. She felt nothing. No pain, no guilt, no tears, no regret. The only thing she felt was as if that twenty pound weight was lifted off of her shoulders. Finally she got out of her car and went to work.

Around five, she got to leave and raced home. When she got home, she went to her closet and found the dress was looking for. It was a slick dark blue dress that went to her knees with a slit on the side. She quickly found the black heels to go with it and from there everything else effortlessly followed. Right before eight, she heard a knock on the door and when she opened it, Jesse froze where he stood. He'd seen her in dresses before, but this was different. On the cruise it had seemed fake, unlike the blue dress she wore now. When he finally managed to speak, all he could say was "Wow, and here I thought you looked good in a business suit…"."You're not so bad yourself Porter." She said with a sly smile. And with that, they went to the restaurant.

When they got there, Dani immediately admired the small but elegant restaurant. They were seated at a somewhat secluded table and Jesse began immediately to speak saying "When I was nine, right before my mom died, she and I visited Miami and we came here. I don't know why I remember this place so well, but its one of my best memories of her and nobody else knows…" he trailed off. He hadn't meant to come out and share something so personal, but just like on that dang cruise, he found it almost too easy to tell her about his past and personal life. For a moment he was worried he'd said something wrong, but she grabbed his hand reassuring him and encouraging him to continue. So he did. He felt like they had known each other for years when in reality, it had been less than a year. They were each other's best friends, sure Mike and Sam and Fi were all close to him, but he didn't think he could go to them and say such personal things as he did with Dani. They continued to talk about the restaurant and the past and, when they finished, he drove her home and kissed her goodnight. The perfect ending to a perfect night.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Toast

A/N: I'm updating the next 2 chapters because the second one is short. This chapter has a lot of fun because after last week's episode, we all NEED fun. So here is chapter 4 and of course I love reviews!

Disclaimer: If I owned Burn Notice, last week's episode would NOT have happened… so yes disclaimed.

The next day Jesse headed over to the loft to see Mike, Sam, and Fi. When he got there, he was surprised by what he saw… Sam was hugging Fi? And she wasn't trying to kill him, but hugging him back? "Ok, what's going on, who died?" he asked walking into the loft.

"Quit the contrary actually, these lovebirds finally did it!"

Jesse seemed confused until he saw the glint of light on Fiona's ring finger. "Did he?" he trailed off.

"He did." She replied happily.

"Okay good that explains Sam and you hugging and the world not ending. Well I couldn't be happier for you two. Speaking of you two, where's the husband-to-be?"

"Right here" Michael said walking in from the back.

"Congrats man! I mean it took you two long enough, most couples get married after the first time they nearly die or get blown up, but it took you guys at least fifty near-death experiences… I mean you got Vaughn…" he started listing all their near deaths that he had seen, not counting the three years before he came, that it took for Michael and Fiona to realize that they were perfect for each other and probably would not find anyone else that understood each other like they do. They stared at each other silently asking if they'd faced death THAT many times then looked back at Jesse.

"Okay, I think you made your point Jesse so new subject. By the way Jesse you seem happier than usual; I mean I'm not the only one that noticed, right?" Michael asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yea definitely happier" Sam agreed "New woman?"

Jesse smiled slightly and replied "Well since we've changed subjects, yea a new woman in my life Sam."

"Soooooo, what's her name?" Sam and Fi nearly shouted.

"Well, you remember Pearce right? Well she is back from Mumbai and in Miami…" he started.

"Wait, Pearce as in Michael's old handler Pearce? Like 'help me catch my fiancées killer and I help get Fi out of jail' Pearce?" Sam interrupted.

Michael just stared in shock, and then broke into a grin and Fi hugged him saying "I'm happy for you!"

Sam, of course, answered in a way only Sam could "Well I say we pick up Pe-Dani and go to Maddie's for a toast!" he said as they all headed out the door.

Madeline already knew about Michael and Fiona but was surprised about Jesse and Dani. She had plenty of alcohol and was happy to toast to everybody and their well needed happiness. One drink led to another and before they knew it, everyone was drunk. Michael refused to believe it saying "I'm NOT drunk, I'm a super-secret spy!"

Everyone, especially Fiona, found that undeniably hilarious. Therefore Michael slung his arm around Fiona and whispered something no one else could hear, and she abruptly stopped laughing and glared at him, but in a way that managed to make it feel like there were four more people than there needed to be in that small room.

Even alcohol had an effect on Sam, who ended up calling Elsa and slurring words that sounded like some sort of old love song but he couldn't seem to remember any lyrics so ended up mashing up different songs, which caused Maddie, Fi , and Dani to nearly die laughing. Michael fell out of his chair and when Jesse tried to help him up, but Sam got really off key and nearly screeched his song so Jesse ended up falling over too. Maddie gasped, jumped up, and ran out of the room only to come back with a box in her hand. "Let'sss play twister! I don't knowww HOW I got tthisss gammee but itt'll be fun!"

Since Fi was small and flexible it ended with her and Michael, since he was so skilled in hand-to-hand combat. "Michael Westen, so help me God, if you make me lose, I will take action to what you whispered in my ear earlier!" she hissed. At that, he quickly collapsed, afraid she would follow her threat, and therefore she won. After that she quickly fell on his chest and they both passed out. Jesse and Dani were in the kitchen but didn't make it back so they passed out on the floor near the refrigerator, Dani using Jesse as a pillow. Sam somehow ended up on the table, after standing up and singing on the table. Maddie was most comfortable on the couch, having been able to make it all the way to the couch before collapsing.

The next morning- actually afternoon, everyone paid for the previous night. They took aspirin, drank water, and ate crackers. No one could put a coherent thought together other than moans and runs to the bathroom. Since Michael and Jesse had actually drunk the least, they were able to hold Fi and Dani's hair and be the ones to take turns getting aspirin. Elsa came and got a very passed out Sam to her penthouse above her hotel. No one else could drive half a mile so they laid there in misery…

Around 6 pm the next evening, everyone felt okay enough to leave.

"I swear to God, I've never had such a bad hangover, and I'm from Ireland, so believe me, that's saying something!" Fiona said wincing.

"I know, I lived there for 6 months, been shot multiple times, stabbed too many times to count, and nearly blown up more than the average human being and this feels worse."

"This is awkward Mike, but that's what a hangover feels like…" Jesse said, joining everyone else laughing, and then simultaneously wincing.

Michael brushed off the comment and said "Well Fi and I should get going before she starts threatening to blow everyone up for being too loud…"

"Um… Do I ever want to know what you guys do when Im not around?" Dani asked cautiously.

"You really want the answer to that?" Jesse asked playfully.

"Guess not." And to that everyone left.

"Where are we going?" Dani asked when she saw they weren't going to her house.

"My place. Neither of us feels like going all the way to your house and we gotta stick together."

"Okay."

When they got there, they went inside, sat on the couch and started talking. After a few minutes, he realized her necklace wasn't on anymore. She knew Jay had given it to her and what it must've meant to her and how she had never taken it off… until now. Suddenly something overwhelmed him and he surged forward to kiss her. She immediately kissed him back and all thoughts of their hangover were gone as she deepened the kiss and he picked her up bridal style, carrying her to his room…

A/N: Okay so yea that's a chapter, like I said I'm 12 so sorry if I got any mistakes about this chapter and hangovers and stuff.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Morning after

A/N: Okay like I said extra short chapter, but this leaves a pretty big cliffhanger…

When Dani woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was that something, or more accurately someone, lying next to her with his arms wrapped possessively around her waist. As memories of the previous night flooded back, she smiled and slightly blushed. She felt him stir and mumble something incoherent and subconsciously pulled her closer, and smiled brighter.

"What?" he asked pulling her out of her thoughts.

"You" she replied kissing him.

"What about me?"

"Just waking up beside you and not having a massive headache is nice." She said laughing softly. He joined her and they stayed that way until she had to answer her CIA phone. Since returning to Miami, Dani had to work in the field with a handler. He called her with a mission to help find a kidnapped foreign diplomat that needed to be kept under wraps. She kissed him goodbye as she heard the escort her handler had sent arrive and left Jesse to fall asleep happy.

Once again, the team had a job to get a local gang to back off of terrorizing a neighborhood. The job sounded small but it was good pay so Jesse founded himself undercover as a psycho gangster. The job suddenly got way out of hand, which of course Fi didn't seem to mind, but the guys did. They were in a gunfight with the charger as their only protection. As a bullet hit the back windshield, Michael cursed under his breath and said "I just fixed that, again." That gave Fi an idea and grabbed her spare C4 out of the passage side and scared the gang off and managed to get them off their backs by nearly blowing their heads off. Unfortunately, Michael did end up with a small flesh wound, but it was good considering they were out manned and outgunned by at least five…

Dani searched the perimeter where the kidnapping went down and called her boss telling him the scene was clear when she felt something hard and painful hit her in the back of her head and everything faded black with her handler yelling frantically into the phone…

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Gone

A/N: I know I haven't been updating lately, but as I said in my other story, I got into a little accident. I'm back now and updating. This is the longest chapter I've written so far to make up for it so here it is.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, just borrowing, wish I did.

When Dani started to gain consciousness, the first thing she realized was a pinprick feeling in her neck and that she was cable-tied to a chair. She was blindfolded, which was good, it meant she had a good chance to get out of this alive. Why anybody would kidnap _**her**_ and not to kill her? She _was_ in the CIA, of course she had enemies, but all of them wanted her dead. She tried to focus on her surroundings, trying to get a clue as to who had her and what he wanted. She felt a breeze and heard birds chirping, probably through a window. _Who kidnaps someone and puts them somewhere with a window? _She thought.

Suddenly her mind was pulled out of thoughts as she heard a muffled voice, no hints of foreign tongue, pure English. She could make out "Inject her… it won't kill her yet… Yes…" she heard footsteps approaching and her head jerked to the side as she felt a stabbing pain in her neck. She immediately felt the drugs kick in, drifting in and out of consciousness before everything went black.

Jesse woke up shortly after he had dozed off and went to his temporary day job, unknowing what happened to Dani. When he was about to leave around five, he got a call from an unknown number.

"Yea?"

"Are you Jesse Porter?"

"Who's asking?"

"Is this line secure?"

"As secure as it's going to get, now who are you?" he asked again.

"I'm agent Lawson and I'm aware that you used to work Counter Intelligence for the CIA. You may not remember, but we worked a few cases back in '08?"

"Um, ok yea why are you calling? In case you haven't heard, I left the business." He said sarcastically.

"Yea, well we need you for a mission. We're keeping it as low as possible and we currently have a missing foreign diplomat, a missing agent, and a suspect who won't crack. You're the best we've had at interrogation in a while and we need your help." He paused, and then added "If you accept, we'll make arrangements with your place of work. This mission is high paying, a high risk/high reward type of thing."

"Only for this one mission?"

"Of course."

"Then I guess I'll do it."

"Okay, come to the office in Miami, do you know where it is? If not, I can send a car.'

"I know where it is. I need to make a few phone calls first."

"Fine, but do NOT give any details on the mission, we already have more than enough people who are aware of this situation."

_Does he think I'm an idiot? _He thought, but said "Okay."

He hung up and dialed another number "Yea Jesse?" Michael answered exasperated and annoyed.

"Hey Mike, just calling to let you know I won't be around for the next few days for jobs I'm busy."

"Alright I'll call Sam and tell him." Michael said quickly then abruptly hung up.

Dani fought to stay awake after the drugs started to wear off, desperately trying to figure out anything useful. Finally she heard that voice, the same one from before "No… this isn't about money… I want justice… I don't CARE!" he yelled storming in. He slapped her hard, letting his anger control him. Just as the stinging began to subside, he punched her hard in the stomach and she was unable to protect herself, only to hope that help would come.

When Jesse got to HQ, he was given a guest badge, went through security, and finally directed him to a room down at the end of a long hallway. He walked in and was greeted by a well-aged Agent Lawson, who handed him a folder.

He skimmed through it and closed it "You said an agent was kidnapped. Who? There's no name."

"Her name is Agent Danielle Pearce. Worked for a while in D.C., transferred to Mia-" he trailed off after seeing the color drain from Jesse's face.

"Dani's been kidnapped? When? How long has it been? Do you have any leads?" he asked frantically until he abruptly stopped, knowing he couldn't let his emotions get in the way or he'd never find Dani.

"You know her?"

"We're in a relationship. Before she was my friend's handler, we helped her get her fiancés murderer, and she helped get the killer of our friend's brother… long story."

"Well we don't have time for stories. Will your relationship with her affect your work?"

"It won't." he said determinedly.

"Okay then, sit down and let's get started. The case agent Pearce was working on before she was taken was the kidnapping of Yakov Alvang, a foreign diplomat. About three hours ago, his body washed up on the shores near North Miami."

"Well **that** should motivate me.' He muttered.

Ignoring the comment, he continued, "Since the kidnapping case has turned into a murder investigation, we need to focus on getting our agent back."

"Where was she last scene?" Jesse asked painfully.

"She called me at Yakov's house."

"Would they have any way of knowing it was her on the case? We need to know if she targeted or if they would've done this to any agent."

"I told her about three days ago that she'd be on the case, towards the end though, and no one else knew. It was unofficial, and the only paper trail doesn't have her name on anything. My guess is that if Yakov was alive for three days, then we have about three days. But for agent Pearce, they won't be fun."

Jesse had to use all his strength not to beat the life out of Lawson right then and instead answered "I won't let it take three days."

They spent fifteen hours searching for any leads, Lawson taking breaks every now and then, and Jesse working nonstop.

"Hey look, a few years back on an op she ran, Yakov was targeted. An unknown sniper fired, but one of his guards took the shot and later died in the hospital. She was Russian, but her husband's American and he went off the grid after her death. Makes sense, him wanting revenge for her death and him going after Dani and Yakov."

"What about a partner? Would it be just him, or more?"

"Well I'm sure there are plenty of people that would want either of them dead, people who would do anything to kill them. We can take a look at the file and check it out." Jesse said.

"We can't. That's classified info-" Lawson began.

"Don't give me that classified excuse! She's been kidnapped, it's only a matter of time before they kill her, and you're stopping me from seeing a file!" He started to break. The whole day and most of the night he had been strong, burying all emotions, but it was crumbling. He hadn't slept in God knows how long and even though he's stayed up for longer, the strain of worrying over Dani made it seem like days.

Agent Lawson knew what Jesse was going through, he really did. His wife had once been kidnapped; it came with the job, but for six days. Even though he got her back, he suffered badly. Jesse and Dani weren't married, but it was actual love.

Finally he spoke, "Jesse, go home, you're getting hysterical. You're no good breaking down and dragging of exhaustion. Come back once your calm and you've gotten some sleep."

Jesse didn't argue, rather he went to his apartment and crashed on his bed. He could only lay there, too upset and worried to sleep. He finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep using the pillow she had used, inhaling the scent that was uniquely her.

Jesse. That was all she could think about. She had to stifle a laugh, it sounded so cliché, _thinking about the one you love when you could die,_ yet it seemed to fit. After being punched and slapped repeatedly, she figured she had a few cracked ribs and tons of bruises. She was now trying to avoid the pain by thinking of Jesse. She wondered if he was worried, if he missed her, or better yet, if he even knew that she had been taken.

The blindfold was abruptly taken off and she looked up to meet two sets of familiar eyes. There were no masks, as soon as she saw this, her heart dropped knowing she was going to die.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Revenge

A/N: Ok so I just realized that my lines to separate parts weren't working but I got them to work now so here's another chapter! Once again a big thank you to all who reviewed, it means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I don't own them….

* * *

Dani was scared. She was actually scared. These people were familiar, her remembering their names as Jack and Spencer Williams, brothers. She could never forget the faces of the people whom she had to tell that their loved ones were dead, it came with the job. This one was particular for many reasons: He had just walked away and fell of the grid never went home again, and his wife was the collateral damage for a failed mission to kill one Yakov Alvang. She berated herself for not putting it together before, another assassination attempt on the diplomat. She could still remember the haunted look in Jack's eyes when she'd told him his wife wasn't coming home.

He began to speak "You seem to remember me. Good, I still remember you; you took my Vera from me. She was all I had and now you're going to pay." He paused to let it sink in, "I'm going to make it slow and painful, my brother here tells me I shouldn't … he doesn't know what I've been through so we'll go with plan A."

Dani chose not to speak, knowing it would only make him angrier and rather stared at him. "We will let you sleep one last time, savor it." He said menacingly.

* * *

Early the next morning, Jesse quickly awoke from a very light and restless sleep to go to HQ early. He got there and Agent Lawson was coming up with a plan.

"The victim's husband is Jack Williams, he has motive, a good way to do it, and after years of being off the grid would make it to where no one would suspect him. He must've been planning it for a while now and we have a plan, sort of."

"Sort of? I don't want sort of, sort of will get people killed, we can't have sort of. What's the plan?" Jesse asked realizing he didn't even know what the plan was.

"We know that Jack and Vera had a place down in the Everglades, but supposedly nobody knows about it, until now. It makes sense to take a victim there, nobody around to hear the screams and plenty of places to dump a bo-" he stopped realizing what he had just said. "Jesse sorry, I forgot who I was speaking to…"

"No, it's okay, I told you my feelings wouldn't get in the way of the case and they're not." Is what Jesse replied instead of thinking about the many ways he could kill him using a pair of scissors. "So _what's _the plan?" he asked again.

"I figured we could get that Westen guy and the girl to help and we all go down there and get her. Simple in and out procedure."

"First you don't want them to know anything and now you need their help?" Jesse snapped.

"Yea you know how it works. Look get them in here and fill them in, we leave tonight." And with that he left.

* * *

Michael and Fiona were sleeping in for the first time in what seemed like forever when his phone rang. "Yea Jesse?" he answered groggily.

"Michael, I need yours and Fiona's help. I don't have a lot of time but just get to the C.I.A headquarters here in Miami and I'll fill you in."

Michael was worried, Jesse had called him Michael instead of one of the many nicknames he had and his tone was dead like. Fiona stirred and opened her eyes, tensing immediately when she saw the strained look in Michael's eyes.

"Michael?" she asked worriedly.

"Fi, we need to go to the C.I.A office in Miami, Jesse asked for our help, he sounded worried."

They got ready and arrived at HQ in record time, immediately handed badges and guided to the back room just as Jesse had.

If they'd thought Jesse was worried before, they were dead wrong. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and his eyes had a haunted look in them, something neither Michael nor Fiona had ever seen with him.

"Jesse?" Michael asked cautiously.

"She's been kidnapped. I need your help. We know who, what, and why but now we need the manpower. We have to leave right away if you agree to help."

"Of course, but who is the 'we'?"

"Another agent, names Lawson, good guy but we need to leave now if we want to get there ASAP." Jesse rushed.

"Let's go."

_I'm coming Dani _Jesse thought.

* * *

As the medicine started to wear off, Dani became more and more aware of the ache that seemed to be everywhere and moaned. A sharp pain her head snapping back alerted her to reality as she realized someone'd slapped her.

"Wake up, it's time to begin." He growled as he picked up a particular large looking knife, Dani just rolled her eyes.

"What, think I won't use it?" he asked then quickly slashed her leg. Pain radiated through her body but she stood strong. He held the knife near her thigh and slowly sliced lightly, too deep and she would bleed out before he got a chance to torture her. She winced and let out a heavy breath, but didn't cry out as she wanted to. She got to the point where the pain got so bad that she blacked out, but didn't come back.

* * *

As soon as the cabin came into view, Jesse, Mike and Fi all hopped out of the car and grabbed the closest and best weapons they could. They agreed to cover the back and front doors as Mike and Fi were backdoor and Jesse and Lawson was front door.

They simultaneously counted to three and busted in, Mike and Fi finding Spencer and shooting him in the leg before he could shoot one of them. Jesse and Lawson had run through the rooms, finding Dani in the back room bleeding and unconscious. Lawson hurried to find something to cut the binds with as Jesse pulled out his pocket knife and began to cut. Sometime through this, Jesse was too far invested to notice, Lawson had helped free Dani. Jesse picked her up easily and carried her to the car where they found Michael and Fiona with an injured and very scared Jack and Spencer.

"I called Sam and he got us a suite where we can take Pearce and tend to her injuries." Michael said, a hint of worry in his tone.

"Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. What did you do to them Fi?" Jesse asked incredulously.

"Why do think it was me?" Fi asked, mocking hurtfulness.

"Never mind, let's get Dani home." Jesse said, smiling the first time in days.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Hotel

**A/N: Okay so here's the new chapter! A special thanks to MusicIsMyLife113 for encouraging me to keep this story going! I know it's short, but I'll be updating more often.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, would it be over? No.**

As fast as humanly possible, perhaps even faster, the team plus Lawson got Spencer and Jack into the trunk and sped down the dirt road. In the back were Jesse and Michael, with Lawson driving and Fi riding shotgun, having Michael try to do his best with what he could to stop the bleeding. Jesse seemed shocked, but tried to bury it to focus on helping Mike with Dani.

"Jesse, do you think you can help? I mean I know you're worried, believe me." Mike said, glancing at Fi, "But if you do decide to help, I need your full attention."

"I'm fine. Just tell me what you need my help with."

"Well considering we have barely anything, and these cuts look pretty deep, I'm afraid we can't do much. Just apply pressure and keep them from bleeding."

Hearing that, Lawson sped up the already speeding car.

* * *

Half an hour later on what shouldn't been at least and hours drive, the team pulled up behind Elsa's hotel and was greeted by Sam.

"Hey brother, you sounded kinda worried on the phone... Oh Jesus, is that?..."

"Yea, look no time to talk, I'll explain everything later."

"You better. So Elsa has a suite ready, I'll get some medical supplies." Sam said, giving the room number and key card, then opened up the trunk to reveal Spencer and Jack tied up in duct tape and zip ties.

"Lawson and I will drive up to an old warehouse and have a little chat with these guys, you guys take care of Pearce."

"Thanks Sam." Jesse said, glad he had a solution to a problem he hadn't even thought of.

"I'll get her, what floor are we on? It would be best if we didn't have to ride the elevator, you know, to not scare the normal people?" Jesse said sarcastically.

"Well then, you're in luck, we're on the 2nd floor. That leaves the most important issue: How are we going to take care of those cuts on Pearce's legs? She'll be in a lot of pain once gaining consciousness and she's really dehydrated."

"I'll call a guy I know, no hospitals, no attention drawn to us, got it?" Fi interjected.

"Got it. Let's go, we're losing time."

Jesse gently picked up Dani and followed Michael to the back entrance and up the stairs to the second floor. Finding the room fairly quickly, they hurriedly laid Dani down on the bed and got to work to clean the wounds as best as possible. There were several cuts, most not deep, but a few were.

"I'm going to clean and wrap these shallow cuts but I need you to watch for any more bleeding, at least until Fi's guy gets here."

* * *

Not 20 minutes later, a knock on the door alerted the guys that Fi and her guest had arrived.

"Guys this is Grant, he's gonna help us, aren't you Grant?" Fi asked.

"You know you're crazy, right? She knows she's crazy right?" he said quickly.

"Yea, but you're going to help me because you it won't hurt to have a favor from me, right?" she said, continuing to goad him.

"Fine, where do you need me?"

"Right this way."

"Well this isn't as bad as the last time you called..." he said grumpily.

"Oh stop whining and help, otherwise I'll be forced to use _other _methods." Fi said grinning maliciously.

Grant got to work setting up an IV to rehydrate Dani, then began to clean and sterilize the wounds. Once done, he stitched up the deeper cuts, relieved it didn't seem too serious but was concerned with one thing.

"These guys obviously drugged her, do you know what with?"

"We found a syringe and a bottle of Methohexital, what the drug do?"Jesse asked, holding Dani's hand, concerned.

"It's an anesthetic, but it can have dangerous or persisting side effects, depending on how much she was

injected with. Side effects can range from headache, nausea, vomiting, pain near the injection sight..." he listed them off one by one.

"Okay, I think we got it." Jesse snapped.

"Guys! How long will it take for her to gain consciousness?" Mike intervened, then pointed his question to Grant.

"No way to tell, just wait."

"I'm not leaving." Jesse said determinately, clutching Dani's hand.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Family

What seemed like hours after the doctor told him to wait, Jesse felt Dani squeeze his hand and moan slightly. At first he thought he was hallucinating, but when her eyes fluttered opened then rapidly slammed closed, he knew it was real.

"Dani?" he whispered.

Dani felt like her head would explode if she moved anything so she settled for a barely coherent "Headache..."

"I know but the medicine should help. Look on the bright side, at least we're not going to make you eat green jello!" he said, trying to lighten the mood.

She smiled, remembering the time he made that sacrifice for her and only complained about the choice of food. He knew what to say to make her feel better at any given time, even under _these_ circumstances.

Jesse noticed her smile and was curious. "What's with the smile?"

"You. The way you always make me feel better, even in bad situations." she said half asleep "That's why I love you." she said, then succumbed to sleep.

"I love you, too." he whispered, finally allowing himself to sleep well for the first time in days.

A few hours later, Dani was the first to wake. She had not woken by herself, rather Jesse moaning softly in his sleep. She did not realize that he was having a nightmare about her. About not making it in time, holding her in his arms as she bled out beneath him. She shook him softly, with him finally waking and realizing that it was just a nightmare. No words were spoken as Dani held on to him and eventually he fell asleep. Dani however, was done sleeping so she decided to sit up, making a note to ask Jesse about his nightmare later.

Once she looked around, she saw Mike and Fi sound asleep on the other bed and Jesse once again sleeping contently beside her. She memorized his face, looking at the same face that she had focused on while she was taken. They had only been together for literally two weeks, but the time they had known each other before that made it feel like forever. She looked up to the sound of Fi's voice saying "Hey".

"Hey." she whispered, careful not to wake Jesse.

"You finally woke up, I wasn't sure if Jesse was hallucinating or not." she said laughing softly, carefully climbing out of bed to not wake the man next to her. She poured two glasses of water, handed one to Dani, and pulled up a chair.

"Thank you" Dani quickly said before Fi could get a word out.

"Anytime. Jesse and Sam are like brothers to me, so that makes you like a sister. I admit I don't trust people easily, and I may not have liked you very much when I first met you, but I've seen the way Jesse looks at you. The way he speaks about you, even Michael could see how much he loves you. We're family, in a weird way, but family nonetheless."

Dani was speechless, one of the few times in her life. Here she thought this woman in front of her hated her, but to call her like a sister? She realized then that she had a family. A caring, always there for her, dysfunctional family. And she never wanted to lose them, ever.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Restless

**A/N: Double digits! Because of this, this chapter will have nice fluffy things! Enjoy :)**

Not long after their conversation, Dani drifted back to sleep, content lying in Jesse's arms. Fi0ona however, was up for the day. She walked out of the room to the small living room and sat on the modern looking couch. As she sat down, the lamp's soft glow caused the ring on her left hand to catch in the light and sparkle. The beauty of it was only a small part of what it meant to her; it proved that Michael had listened to her when she'd described her preferred choice of rings. It showed commitment, not that they weren't before, but that she meant more than the job, she was his and he was hers. After a minute or two, she heard footsteps and glanced up to see Michael shuffling into the room. He walked to the refrigerator, grabbed a blueberry, and sat down beside her.

"Lost in your thoughts?"

"You could say that."

"What has you lost?" he asked, growing concerned.

"It's a good kind of lost. I was thinking about this." she said holding up her hand and motioning towards her ring.

He put his arm around her waist and she instinctively leaned into him. "I should have done that a long time ago, we've already been through more than most people go through in a lifetime."

"Stop. We weren't ready before, your job didn't allow you to have people close to you, but we are now. That's enough for me."

Michael smiled, something he had been doing a lot lately recently, even if his brother was dead. Nate would not want him to waste his life feeling guilty, of weighing down his loved ones with grief because they would never leave him but be wrapped in the grief as well. He held onto Fi tighter and grabbed her hand with his free one, yogurt forgotten. No words were spoken as they stayed wrapped in each others arms, enjoying one of their rare moments, which were also becoming more frequent...

_She was running to save **him** as her feet grew more and more tired. She had her gun in her hand, but that did not slow her down. She burst into a building, ran up two flights of stairs, only to find a trail of blood. Before she could find the source of all the blood, the scene before her shifted._

Jesse sensed Dani shifting often in her sleep and held her in his arms tightly in hopes of letting her k now that he was there. She stilled,tensed, then relaxed and he soon did the same.

_No longer was it a nightmare, but a beautiful dream, at least to her. She was still in Miami, it was sunset and she was not alone. Jesse stood next to her, handsome as ever, smiling down at her as the waves overlapped the shore, her hand in his._

Dani woke up to sunlight streaming through a window and the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Her legs had a burning feel, but it was bearable. She looked over, only finding empty sheets, but saw the man in question walk through the door, two cups of coffee in hand. He smiled brightly at her, neither speaking of their dreams from the previous night. They chose to instead talk about the information Sam had gathered.

"He interrogated them for three minutes separately and they caved, yelling that the other one made them do it. Turns out they had committed a series of armed robberies to get the money they needed for the kidnapping. Sam left the police department a nice little gift, complete with cable ties. They're gone Dani." he said, relieved.

**A/N: Okay so the next chapter is going to skip a few weeks because I don't care for the "Day-by-day" chapters. Have a good week, reviews are appreciated!**


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